This recipe was one of my great grandma’s specialties. Champagne Salad was one of the desserts that Granny always made for holidays, it was my favorite! Last Christmas I made these Tea Towels using Granny’s handwritten recipe card for this dessert. After featuring the DIY on the blog, several people asked me about the recipe and I knew that it was one that I wanted to make and share here. This frozen dessert is creamy and full of fruit, it’s perfect for summer (especially if you don’t have an ice cream maker). Make a batch of this dessert, slice it up, then … Continue reading Champagne Salad Frozen Dessert

Since it’s been kind of quiet here on the blog recently, I thought I’d share a little peek of what’s happened this past month. Most of these photos can also be found on my Instagram, you can keep up with what’s going on around here by following me HERE. Drew and I celebrated our second anniversary with a little weekend trip to Dallas. When non-local people hear that we live in the DFW area, they generally assume that we make it over to Dallas all of the time. In reality, we usually only take just-for-fun trips to Dallas several times … Continue reading The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum

I’ve had my eye on these mini graham cracker crusts for a while now, waiting for the perfect occasion to use them! I finally bought them to use for these mini desserts for Mother’s Day. This Banana Split Dessert recipe has been a favorite in my family for a while now. It’s a rich and refreshing dessert that has a creamy cheesecake layer topped with fresh fruit. And this is a quick recipe, no baking required. Perfect for Summer! My one complaint about these mini crusts is their package count. They come in counts of 6 and I found that … Continue reading No-Bake Banana Split Dessert

In my blogging absence, I have been finishing up the unpacking and organizing at our new place. I haven’t done very much cooking in the past week, but grocery shopping is something that I just can’t get away from. I’m pretty sure that I’ve actually been at the store more than usual during the past few weeks. I thought this would be a great time to share the apps that I like to use for saving money on groceries! I do regularly use old-fashioned coupons and, I have to say, I’m a little upset at all of the extreme couponers … Continue reading 3 Ways to Save on Groceries (without Cutting Coupons)

Last year I created these Patterned Easter Eggs using white paint pens on brown eggs. I really wanted to come up with another unique and artsy egg decorating idea this year. I had just purchased a set of watercolor paint (I’m currently in love with simple watercolor designs!) and was inspired to try watercolor egg decorating. I went to Pinterest (my go-to for inspiration) and I wasn’t able to find anything exactly like what I had in mind. I really wanted to create ombre watercolor designs, instead of painting brush strokes onto the eggs. I wasn’t even sure if it … Continue reading DIY Watercolor Easter Eggs

On our honeymoon, in South Beach, Miami, we stayed at a hotel that offered lots of fresh dishes created with local ingredients. This recipe was inspired by an eggplant and squash panini that I enjoyed there. The fresh mozzarella caught my eye, even though I wasn’t sure what I thought about adding grilled vegetables to a grilled cheese, I decided to give it a try. I was surprised at how tasty it was, a light but filling sandwich. I love making paninis and grilled cheese sandwiches (like my Tomato Mozzarella with Pesto Grilled Cheese and Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese sandwiches). This panini is … Continue reading Grilled Eggplant and Squash Panini with Fresh Mozzarella

It’s been a busy week around here. We’ve been packing, painting and patching nail holes as we’re preparing to move in a few weeks. It’s a sad thing to paint our bold accent walls back to beige. I decided that taking a break to make these colorful treats might make me feel a little bit better! This is the quick, classic rice krispie treat recipe with a fun cereal swap! I added a little Easter twist by shaping some of the treats into an egg shape. Kind of festive! Fruity Pebbles Marshmallow Treats … Continue reading Fruity Pebbles Marshmallow Treats

Sushi will always hold a special place in my heart. On our very first date, Drew took me out for my first taste of sushi. I was a little apprehensive, but fell in love immediately… with both sushi and the man that would turn out to be my future husband. My first attempt at sushi making was a huge success! The taste was so good, exactly what you’d find in a sushi restaurant (and so much more economical). The process is a bit time-consuming, but quite easy. And it turned out to be very pretty, if I do say so … Continue reading Smoked Salmon Philadelphia Rolls

I have the perfect tutorial for you – just in time for Easter! These Easter Egg Bath Bombs make an adorable basket stuffer. This recipe cost just a few dollars for the entire batch, less than what ONE bath bomb would cost at Lush! These egg bath bombs will add a light scent and color to a bath, and they’ll leave your skin feeling soft and smooth. I created my bath bombs by slightly altering this recipe. The amount of bath bombs that you end up with will depend on the size of mold that you use. I used small Easter … Continue reading DIY Mint Bath Bombs

These toasted ravioli are my new favorite thing! They’re crispy, and delicious with a warm cheese filling… perfect for an appetizer or snack. We enjoyed these so much that I made them two days in a row. The second time I served these toasted ravioli with tomato soup, as a fun alternative to grilled cheese! I’ve seen a simple toasted ravioli recipe bouncing around on Pinterest for quite some time. Vague directions are written under the pin, and the pin doesn’t actually link to the recipe. I decided to wing it and try using Buitoni ravioli from the refrigerated section. … Continue reading Toasted Cheese Ravioli

This bright pasta dish is made with just 5 ingredients, you can have this fresh and filling dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. I created this meal by pulling together fridge and pantry ingredients that I already had on hand and then seasoned it with a packet of ranch mix! The ranch mix makes this pasta so flavorful without the addition of any heavy sauces. Do you have a favorite simple and fast dinner recipe? Feel free to share a link in the comment section below! I love these mini peppers. They’re so sweet and perfect for snacking! They’re … Continue reading Ranch Pasta with Smoked Sausage and Mini Sweet Peppers

I hope that you’ve enjoyed a good week and weekend, I’m happy to be back after a little blogging break. I’ve been busy filling orders over at my Etsy shop and, well, we ate a lot of quick meals and frozen pizza last week! I also try to take advantage of any daylight that I can get when taking food photos, so meals that come together after 6 o’clock often don’t make the cut. When I was growing up, my mom would make baked spaghetti with pepperoni and mozzarella. It was always a family favorite and this baked pizza pasta is my … Continue reading Cheesy Pepperoni Skillet-Baked Ziti

Did you know that homemade macaroni and cheese is really easy to make? And that real cheese can be turned into a rich and creamy cheese sauce? Homemade macaroni and cheese with chicken makes the perfect warm and filling meal for a cold winter evening. I love adding roasted peppers to homemade sauces like this one, it’s one of my favorite flavors, and it’s incredibly easy to roast fresh peppers at home (even without an open flame). This is a variation of my Chicken Bacon Macaroni and Cheese… you can use the basics of this recipe to make macaroni & cheese with … Continue reading Poblano Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Looking for a quick and easy meal? Try this Crescent Roll Taco Pizza! It’s a fun twist on tacos that can be made in under half an hour. The slight sweetness of the crescent rolls is a great compliment to the spiciness of the taco meat. My mom used to use these ingredients to make a crescent-topped casserole, it was always a family favorite, I thought it would be fun to try making it in pizza form! Like most of my recipes, this one can easily be altered to include whatever ingredients you like… try it with ground turkey or shredded … Continue reading Crescent Roll Taco Pizza

Pretzel buns are so trendy right now. After enjoying a hot dog on a pretzel bun, I started wondering just how difficult it would be to make them at home. After looking up a few pretzel buns recipes I realized that, while it’s a bit time-consuming, they’re pretty simple to make from scratch! These pretzel buns also have the husband’s seal of approval. We liked them so much that we easily could’ve enjoyed the pretzel buns all by themselves. I can’t wait to use this recipe to make buns for hamburgers or sandwiches next! Try topping your hot dog or … Continue reading Easy Pretzel Hot Dog Buns